"We live in a society where it’s easy to hide behind screens."

Courtesy of Instagram/[@sleepinthegardn](https://www.instagram.com/p/BSjy5x9BcAh/?taken-by=sleepinthegardn&hl=en)

If you're one of Troian Bellisario's 9.6 million followers on Instagram, you know the actress uses her platform to communicate more than just a behind-the-scenes glimpse at her life. Over the course of her career as Spencer on Pretty Little Liars — and beyond — she's been vocal about the importance of activism, using her reach to engage with fans on issues ranging from environmentalism to politics. Those who have scrolled through her feed before are already familiar with her dedication to the planet, so it was no surprise when we heard that she was stepping into a new role as co-ambassador of the Burt's Bees Bring Back the Bees campaign. As she explained to us last night, the campaign offers an easy way to take action against the rapidly declining honeybee population (especially worrying because of their huge impact on biodiversity, food security, and sustainable land use).

Now, Troian and Burt's Bees are teaming up to help you take action. Those looking to participate can do so either by purchasing a limited-edition lip balmor creating a #SelflessSelfie at selflessselfie.burtsbees.com and sharing it on social media. For each purchase made or selfless selfie created, the Burt’s Bees Foundation will plant 5,000 bee-sustaining wildflower seeds — a big step that you can make a reality with something as simple as the snap of a button. As Troian says, it's an easy way to contribute. Read on to see why activism matters to her, the unexpected (tattoo-related) way she stays in touch with her PLL castmates, and the beauty secrets she always swears by.

Teen Vogue: As an actress and environmental activist, what does having a platform mean to you and what messages are you looking to spread?

Troian Bellisario: Right now, I’m trying to spread what I feel immediately connected to. I’m incredibly blessed to have a connection to so many people through my fans, and a lot of my fans are also politically and environmentally active. I’ve been working with Burt’s Bees for about two years now and I think they’re doing really incredible work. That’s been an easy cause to get behind, especially this Bring Back the Bees campaign, because they make it so simple to help. I do whatever I can — I discovered this nonprofit this morning called NuDay Syria. I was looking for ways to send relief or aid to refugees and survivors of the attacks in Syria, and when I came across that, I tried to throw as much of my weight behind it as I could. If you can do something, then do something. If you can donate money, do it. If you can retweet, then it helps — it helps to make people aware of the situation.

TV: As the co-ambassador of the Bring Back the Bees campaign, what do you want your fans to take away from it?

TB: You know, we live in a society where it’s easy to hide behind screens. It’s easy to see that there’s a problem or see there’s something scary going on — like a 44% decline in the honeybee population in just one year. And we kind of look at that and we go, "Oh my god, that’s really terrible, but there’s also all this other news that I have access to. I’m thinking about it, but really, what else can I do?" The reason I love this Bring Back the Bees campaign is that Burt's Bees is not only committed to raising awareness of the problem, but also giving you a really easy way to contribute. If you want to buy a lip balm, you get a wonderful product and you get to give back. If you don’t want to spend any money, then all you have to do is take what they’re calling a “selfless selfie” and they’re going to plant 5,000 wildflowers, which acts as a food source to support the bee population and makes an impact on the environment. I think I really like this campaign in particular because it makes it so easy to help.

TV: You're clearly very familiar with the brand, so from a beauty angle, do you have any favorite products from them?

TB: So many! I’m always joking around, but it's very true that I always have a Burt’s Bees lip balm in my pocket or in my purse — or when I was in high school, it was always in my Jansport. I’m never without their lip balm. Their Hand Salve really saved me this winter — it’s so good. The air is drying and your skin cracks it's impossible to stay moisturized, but their heavy-duty hand salve always works for me.

TV: We're huge fans of your Instagram and have noticed that you've been traveling a ton lately. Do you have any other beauty essentials you like to bring when you're on-the-go?

TB: Face masks! Whenever you’re flying, your skin is getting dehydrated, so I always try to bring a bunch. I know I don't always have time to go get a facial, so it’s helpful to travel with those. Plus, they make you look really scary in the morning — it’s sort of like an American Psycho situation. I love sheet masks or anything that has a clay base.

TV: How would you describe your beauty style off-camera? How do you switch it up for the red carpet or for big events like your wedding?

TB: I definitely switch it up. Spencer in particular had a very specific makeup look. When I go out in public as me, I try to be a little more punk rock with the eyes or try a bold lip. It's fun to try different things, and I work with such talented makeup and hair artists that are always willing to try something a out-of-the-box with me. It’s fun to have an excuse to dress up.

TV: We’ve actually spoken to your PLL castmates about their own beauty routines before, and it seems like you've swapped some tips and tricks. What are some of the best beauty tips they’ve taught you, and vice versa?

TB: Oh my god, I definitely have not taught them anything! That is 100% the truth. Shay [Mitchell] taught me a long time ago how to use a curling wand to make beach waves, and that’s pretty much the only thing I can do with my hair. I’m so hopeless when it comes to that, and Shay keeps telling me, because she has her YouTube channel, “I’m going do a show where I’ll do your makeup. I’ll contour your face and do all the things that I do, and we’ll see what you look like.” And I’m like, "Alright, it'll be weird...but let's try it." I mean, the beach waves I now have a handle on thanks to her.

TB: I’ve always had long hair — I used to have hair down to my knees — and I cut it once when I was in kindergarten from my knees up to my ears. My best friend at the time basically told me I looked like a boy, so I got so scared that I never cut it again. The funny thing was, I was then on a show where I literally couldn’t cut or dye my hair, because they wanted Spencer to have the same look. After seven years of people telling you you have to have your hair a certain way, you kind of want to rebel. I knew I didn’t want to freak myself out because I'd never done a drastic change, so I just cut it below my shoulders. But, ever since I did that, I feel like I want to keep on experimenting with cutting it shorter or dyeing it. It’s nice to have the freedom now, for the first time in my life, to be able to do that.

TV: Are there any hair looks in particular that you want to try next?

TB: I definitely want to try a different color, but I don’t know which one yet. I don’t want to look crazy and I know there are certain hair colors that will not look good on me, but I’m willing to experiment.

TV: One other thing we saw on your Instagram was when you and the PLL cast got those matching tattoos — and broke the Internet. How did you guys decide on the design? Are there any other tattoos you want to get?

TB: That wasn't my first tattoo and I definitely want to get more. For that one particularly, everyone's always asking us, "Who's 'A'?" Even our fan letters would be signed "A." I thought it would be really if we could all get the first initials of our characters, so instead of "A," it would be "H" for Hanna or "E" for Emily. In order to encourage everyone to do it, I said, "Okay, we’re all getting tattoos, but just so everybody's down and nobody backs out, you can choose wherever you want it.” We were all going to get them on different parts of our body, and then randomly, as we were on our way over there, Ashley [Benson] was like, “Actually, I’m going to do mine on my finger, so that when I make the shh face, you can see it.” At first all of us were like, "Ugh, that's so cheesy," because at this point, after seven years, we all hate making the shush face. It’s just the most annoying thing! But then, the funny thing about it was that we were like, "That is so cheesy...wait, that is so perfect." If we can all do it, we'll take back that gesture. Now, whenever fans ask us to do the face, it’s this really sweet moment because I know we all share this mark. It ended up being a goofy idea that became very sentimental.